Chapter 142 Appreciating Kana岛

"He might still be further behind." Yoji Hiraiwa was also somewhat curious. "I don't know what's wrong with that guy. When he went out skiing in the morning, his legs felt a bit weak. Right at the start of the race just now, he made a major mistake and collided with Eto."

"Hmm." Haruhi Noeno stroked his chin, seeming to recall what he saw when he passed Kunita's bed last night.

Surely this guy wouldn't go that far.

"Could it be that Kunita has been somewhat absent-minded today?" Haruhi Noeno asked.

Yoji Hiraiwa thought for a moment and then nodded. "I don't get that guy. Still, if Kunita performs normally, there shouldn't be any problem. There's still one final spot left."

A few minutes later, the fifth competitor finally appeared, but it was neither Kunita Ichinaka nor Yoshiyuki Eto.

Both of them had been eliminated.

According to what Kunita said later, he and Yoshiyuki Eto had been in the front all along, both fighting for the fifth spot. To his surprise, as they neared the finish line, his leg suddenly cramped for some unknown reason, causing him to take a direct tumble, and Yoshiyuki Eto, who was closest to him, couldn't avoid it either.

It could only be said that they were extremely unlucky. Poor Eto.

With the final participants selected, everyone boarded the sightseeing vehicle and returned to the camp to await the grade-wide competition two hours later.

Since the guys had nothing to do, they returned to their dormitory, planning to start a gaming session to clear their minds.

Just as Haruhi logged into his account, a knock sounded on the wooden cabin's door.

"Who could that be, knocking at a time like this?"

Kunita walked over to open the door, looking rather surprised amidst the howling cold wind.

"Kanae Terashima-san? What brings you to our dorm?"

Hearing that the visitor was Kanae Terashima, Haruhi Noeno curiously turned his head to look.

Shoulder-length short hair, a pair of beautiful eyes, and a slender figure. Underneath her thick down jacket, one could only imagine how wonderful the scenery would be if she wore slightly tight-fitting over-the-knee socks.

That was why winter was truly detestable—it prevented girls from displaying their most gorgeous sides.

"I'm here for Haruhi Noeno."

Kanae Terashima's voice was cold and detached, as if she didn't want to spare a single extra word for this adolescent-syndrome-afflicted boy.

Then, she turned her gaze into the room.

"Come with me. I need to talk to you about something."

With that, she turned and left.

Curious, and wondering if this was at the behest of Kiyono-san, Haruhi put on his coat and followed after her.

Leaving behind three envious guys inside the cabin.

Stepping out of the cabin, a vast expanse of white filled his vision. In a small grove not far outside the camp, the tree branches were withered and yellow, devoid of any vitality.

Kanae Terashima stood with her back turned not far away, her exquisite young maiden's graceful silhouette a pleasing sight from any angle.

Exhaling a puff of white breath and watching it gradually dissipate into the air, Haruhi walked over.

"Is Kiyono-san looking for me?" Haruhi approached, saying with a cheeky smile.

"You have zero sense of personal boundaries. Does Kiyono know about this?" Kanae Terashima glanced at the handsome face before her, curling her lips. "This time, it's just me looking for you."

"Huh?" This piqued Haruhi's curiosity even more. What business could this girl possibly have with him?

"You're looking for me?"

"That's right!"

Deep within the grove, bare, dense branches completely blocked out the sky, surrounded entirely by trees and creating a sense of a very private space.

Haruhi flopped down onto a tree stump of indeterminate age, its annual rings clearly visible.

Having lived for centuries, it had ultimately become part of the camp's library scenery, though its body was somewhat split apart.

"So, are you going to redeem the punishment now?"

Sitting upon it carried a heavy atmosphere. First, he looked at that delicate little face, and finally, his gaze subconsciously drifted down to those wrapped-up little feet.

Unfortunately, the outfit he bought for Kiyono-san wasn't with him right now.

Toe-ring footless socks, toe-ring stockings, peep-toe socks, fishnet toe-less socks, forefoot-exposed socks...

Smooth transitions, smooth equipment. He wondered what they would look like on Kanae Terashima's dainty feet.

"That's right. What? Scared?" Kanae Terashima narrowed her eyes, looking down condescendingly at her best friend's boyfriend.

She had to admit that from any angle, he was an undeniable, absolute hunk.

Such an appearance was simply a foul play when it came to young girls.

She also harbored her own little calculations. Although she had absolute confidence in Mai, everyone had seen earlier how effortlessly at ease Haruhi was during the final moments, giving off an overwhelming aura of total control.

This guy's skiing skills were no joke.

"Right now?" A trace of anticipation flashed in Haruhi's eyes, though he masked it well, instead putting on a troubled expression.

"Yes, exactly. Right now." With a look that said 'just as I expected,' Kanae Terashima prepared to lift her booted foot, pondering which part she should step on first to make it even better.

Eventually, her gaze shifted toward a certain thigh.

"Wait, I have a request." Seeing the little foot steadily closing in on him, Haruhi suppressed his inner desires and hurriedly spoke up, "Could you take off your shoes? Otherwise, you'll leave footprints, and if Kiyono sees them this afternoon, it won't be easy to explain."

Hearing this, Kanae Terashima, whose foot was already raised, paused. What he said actually made a lot of sense.

It was probably better not to let Kiyono find out about this kind of thing.

"You certainly seem to think things through completely." Kanae Terashima nodded in approval, rotated her ankles slightly, and rolled her bright eyes as if she had thought of something fun.

"Hey, why don't you take my shoes off for me?"

Having him remove her shoes for her—the humiliation factor of that seemed quite high as well!

"What on earth? No way."

Haruhi put on an expression of absolute refusal.

"Eh, fine then~"

Seeing the boy's resolute stance, Kanae Terashima didn't say much more and was about to put her foot back on the ground to take off her shoes herself.

Seeing this, Haruhi was stunned for a moment. *Hey, hey, hey! Are you not even going to pressure me a little bit?*

*Just giving up like that?*

*Why aren't you playing according to the script, big sister? You're the one supposed to be delivering my fans service here.*

At that thought, Haruhi moved with lightning speed, grabbing hold of the brown boots—the sacred moment of uncovering the young beauty's petite feet.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't move!"

Unzipping the boots, slowly, a small foot clad in a short sock was exposed to the air. Its dainty and delicate appearance was terribly cute, and as the cold wind blew past, it shivered slightly.

"Alright, come on. Where do you want to step on me?" Haruhi reached out to stroke it briefly before reluctantly letting go.

Having her most private area touched by a man for the very first time, Kanae Terashima immediately flushed red. She glared fiercely at Haruhi and then stepped right down on him.

The sensation transmitted from the base of his thigh, combined with Kanae Terashima's condescending, disdainful yet shy expression, forced Haruhi to strongly suppress the feeling of comfort welling up inside and instead put on a hateful glare as if looking at a bitter enemy.

Seeing Haruhi wear this expression, all of Kanae Terashima's shyness vanished, replaced by a growing sense of glee. *Yes! That's the exact effect I wanted!!*

Originally, after the internal selection at noon, she had considered calling it quits upon winning and rejecting the second bet, but she hadn't expected Mai to agree to it anyway.

Damn this competitive spirit.

The match she previously had a hundred percent chance of winning now had huge variables, and Kanae Terashima didn't want to lose—especially not having to grant Haruhi a favor if she lost. That was simply unacceptable.

Therefore, as an insurance policy, she decided to keep it from everyone, come out to meet Haruhi alone, and execute the wager beforehand to fiercely humiliate him before the match.

She knew that boys at this stage had extremely sensitive and fragile hearts. Being stepped on by a girl would undoubtedly be fatal for someone like Haruhi Noeno, a campus celebrity.

During the match, with his mindset compromised, Mai's chances of winning would increase even further—even if her feet were a little cold right now.

However, as she kept stepping, Kanae Terashima began to feel that something was slightly off. The flesh of the thigh, which should have been relaxed and very soft, how did it suddenly grow something that felt like a hot iron rod?

The tactile feedback was extremely strange, and Haruhi's expression was even weirder??

*Hey, hey, hey, why are you showing such an extremely enjoying expression?*

Haruhi didn't want to either. Although he was trying his utmost to control his facial expression, the authentic sensation transmitted from his thigh—that cool, soft little foot—was simply unbearable.

The out-of-control body of a young man in the turbulent throes of youth had led to this awkward predicament.

Suddenly, Kanae Terashima exerted pressure, causing Haruhi to widen his eyes.

"You fellow, what are you doing?"

Haruhi immediately raised his hands in protest, shouting in grievance, "Big Miss, I didn't do anything at all! Clearly you're the one bullying me!"

He raised both hands to show his innocence.

"You!"

She desperately wanted to say something, but the words caught in her throat and wouldn't come out. Haruhi's statement was indeed completely factual.

It was just... why did she feel like this guy was thoroughly enjoying it?

That annoyed her to no end!

"Kanae, are your feet cold?"

"Huh?"

"Let me warm them up for you."

???

Seeing that things had reached this point, Haruhi simply stopped pretending.

He directly grabbed that small foot clad in the short sock with his hand, and under Kanae Terashima's shocked gaze, shoved it right into the waistband of his down jacket pants.

It was undeniably warm, but...

"You bastard! Let go of my foot!"

Kanae Terashima's face turned completely red as she began to struggle wildly right there.

Haruhi ignored her resistance, simply maintaining a firm grip around her ankle. *Little spice girl, still trying to humiliate me?*

*What a joke.*

Kanae Terashima felt her sole growing unbearably ticklish. After struggling for a full ten minutes, she suddenly felt as though her sock had become somewhat damp.

She widened her eyes in sheer astonishment, staring blankly at Haruhi.

After calming down, Haruhi wore a look of utter awkwardness.

"If I said this was an accident, would you believe me?"

"Haruhi Noeno! I'm going to kill you!"

(Two more chapters tonight)
(End of this chapter)